The wellness of being unwell
Hi all, been some time since my last post - during which I was down with a viral infection which took almost 2 weeks to recover.
And so many people around seem to be having a similar prolonged viral infection. Hope all of you are feeling better now.
And this phase made me write this topic.
Would want to qualify it upfront that this isn’t an attempt at dark humour and not meant to hurt anyone’s feelings. Many people in our circle might be seriously unwell, this isn’t about such cases. My prayers and empathy to them. ??
The Illness
I have normally been prone to cough and throat infections but rarely been down with body pains and fever - except during 3rd wave of covid and the first vaccination.
Though we know that the body will recover in a few days’ time, still our mind is filled with anxiety during this period. Especially if it occurs to children as well.
But somehow, the need for taking rest makes us slow our body. Forcefully relax. It’s like sitting in the last seat of a rickety bus over a speedbreaker. The head hits the ceiling - so as to tell this is your limit!
No Time for Busy People
The need for mandatory rest made me reflect…
Waves of “automation”, “modernisation” and “digitisation” were meant to “free” the person - away from mundane tasks. Like say de-husking rice, travelling distances or depositing money in a bank account.
As a result, this has caused the society as a whole to expect things faster. Instant news instead of morning newspaper, instant sweets instead of a 2 day preparation for festivals, instant money instead of cheque to encash, etc.
But collectively, we aren’t always the beneficiary of this speed but also a victim.
Call centre agents to respond to each customer’s request in a few seconds, the need to respond to email pop ups at any time of the day, anxiety if we don’t see the person respond after the “blue ticks” in WhatsApp.
领英推荐
This means we are in a constant sense of stress - not just for work but anywhere. A friend who has pinged after 10 years might expect a response in a few minutes. ??
In case of situations where people breakdown, the stress seems visible. But this day-to-day routine of having “to respond” is like the low noise in an aeroplane which can make your ears go bonkers. Very difficult to detect but we will appreciate it only when it snaps.
The Mental Balance
A minor illness might force our mind to limit this and forcefully cut oneself off. It makes us realise what is really “critical” and what can actually “wait”.
What do we really enjoy and what weighs us down?
Those in highly stressful jobs and money to spare - try to balance it in equally novel ways like “work hard, party harder”, “exotic vacations”, “digital detox”, vipassana, etc.
Definitely many such breaks help. But can everyone afford it? and do we need to “wait” for a particular time for “detoxing” ourselves? Do these even reduce stress levels or create new ones?
Why not make a few tweaks to our daily routine to balance it better?
The Takeaways
A minor illness is a reminder that our body needs time to relax better.
While physical well-being is better detected; mental well-being always seems latent and hidden.
If we can pre-empt and take care of ourselves better, we can live far more contended and make the world a better place.
PS: As a bonus, due to loss in appetite, lost a couple of kilos which I couldn’t after 4 months of running too ??